Jointer plane – Beech – 2015

Its been a couple of months since David and I enrolled in a class at the Woodwright School in North Carolina – it was time for another visit.  We aren’t rolling the clock backwards but powering it forward.  Its hard to tell from the photo – but the ladder collapses into a single stick – climbing to the top rung shows how much faith I have in Roy’s craftsmanship.  Under the leadership of Bill Anderson, David and I had a lot to take our boards to planes!

First step was squaring up the beech blanks.  David, shouldn’t look so worry as long as all his errors are the inverse of his errors when he is planing – he will be set.  Bill took the time to source really sweet air dried quarter sawn beech.

 

 

Marked out the bed angles.  Listen up kids – there are important applications to geometry.

 

Cut the first mortise.  If I am not drilling the mortise square – now would be a bad time to tell me.  I spend a lot of time woodworking – most I am feeling it but let me tell you this was not my day!  I cut the mortise a little bit off, so my bed float has a mini shelf.

 

 

This wasn’t an easy project – David gets a little guidance from the master.

 

Here I am fitting the wedges – Bill had a range of set angles – to account for the range of errors his students make.

 

 

Guiding the toe and in advance of the heel – the eyes set the course for the plane.  I used a gouge to shape the.  The whole mouth of the plane looks sort of like the liberty bell.  Maybe a beacon to my big move to PA.

 

 

With a coat of finish both planes look great – we are still ironing out the user error in their application.  I am learning how to advance and retract the blade with a gentle tap of my plane adjusting mallet.  Having completed three classes at the woodwright school, my tool chest is filling up with bowsaw, copingsaw and hand saws